The drive was scenic to say the least, in the distance we could see the cone shaped mountain we thought to be the Volcano. Also we noticed cows grazing all over the beautiful countryside and there we no fences to be seen. I’m not sure how they keep up with their livestock.

Capulin Mountain is 8,182 ft, it was last active 60,000 years ago. It’s also one of the few extinct volcanoes that visitors can walk into.

Beautiful views from the top and a trail that allows you to walk the entire rim of the crater.

This is inside the crater, there is a monument at the bottom and someone is standing there reading it.

As we were leaving the park I snapped this photo, reminded me of Little house on the prairie!

We are off to Raton NM, then we will drive north into Colorado. I will post the day two adventures next. I was anxious to get into the Rockies!

Two weeks ago today I was driving through Black Mesa State Park & Preserve in the Panhandle of Oklahoma, it is home to Oklahoma’s highest point at 5,705 ft. It is lava formed by a volcanic eruption 3 to 5 million years ago.

It is beautiful, and so not Oklahoma like, more New Mexico like. There are so many mesas throughout, it looks foreign to me. But beautiful country!

We drove on a wild goose chase out in the middle of no mans land looking for the Tri-State marker and finally found it!

Next we were off to Capulin New Mexico, to see the Volcano. We chose the road less traveled which meant 17 of the 70 miles was dirt roads. Which in this day and age seemed crazy to me! It was the most beautiful drive full of cloudy skies, sunflowers and mesas as far as the eye could see. (Would recommend the drive for sure)

Since you have to drive slower you see more of the country side.

From this to this….

It was definitely gorgeous scenery, Sunflowers are one of my favorite flowers and there was an abundance of them.

In July I made my first ever trip to New York, at the top of my list of things to do was to see the September 11 Memorial and One World Trade Center.

As I walked the streets of NYC from SoHo towards Lower Manhattan, I began to see in my mind the horrific events that unfolded that unforgettable day.

As I got closer to where the tower stands now, I got an eerie feeling that I was standing where some of the people had to be standing or running away from the area when the towers came down. I could see the billowing clouds of debris coming down the streets like I had seen over and over in the videos that were captured that morning.

I cannot fathom how horrific it must have been to be there and to be running for your life and wondering the fate of co-workers and loved ones.

This was my actual first sight of the Freedom Tower that day as it stands 16 years later.

I am so glad that I was able to see the memorial for myself, I had no idea there were two actual memorials, one where each of the towers stood in the respective buildings footprints.

They were very beautiful and very emotional to see. Each one of the names lost that fateful day inscribed into the marble ledge surrounding the 30 foot waterfalls.

To commemorate the birthdays of the fallen, they place a red carnation in their inscribed names.

The museum was very somber and emotional as well. I had been to the George W. Bush Library in Dallas earlier this year and had been very moved by the Tribute to 9/11. But to actually stand on the grounds in New York brought a whole new set of emotions.

These are some of the photographs I took while there.

These are some of the stairs that took so many to safety.

The beams that took some of the impact of the plane.

The pictures of all the fallen.

The flag with the pictures of the people who lost their lives in the towers in red and the fallen emergency workers in blue.

President Bush’s speech inscribed and all the names of the victims.

Ladder 3

The last column removed with all the emergency workers names or departments inscribed.

Your life is what you make of it and I choose to make mine an adventure!

Traveling, discovering and seeing new places is one of my favorite things to do, I travel as much as my job allows, which means a lot of short trips close to home and an occasional longer journey to a new place I’ve yet to explore.

I love big cities, their museums, history and different cultures but I am mostly drawn to nature and the beauty of God’s handiwork.

I have purchased a National Park Passport and I am anxious to visit as many as I can along with some of the state parks in my area.

I find myself taking a lot of photos so I will never forget the places I’ve been and seen. Recently I’ve been thinking that a travel blog would be a great way to document my adventures although I’ve never blogged before, this will just be one more adventure I will try my hand at and embark on.